Moroccan Style Chicken & Rice

I feel like I’m a little famous for my one dish wonders. The feedback from loyal ones, far and wide, is usually the strongest for these types of recipes. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say it’s because we all want food that’s yummy and nutritious but easy to pull together. Especially on those weeknights when life is busy and there’s no time to waste. Having easy and reliable recipes just helps to keep us all on the straight and narrow and away from those take away temptations. I really believe that most of us don’t even want take away - it just feels convenient in those times when you’re not quite organised or lacking inspiration. But most of the time, once we have it, it’s a let down. You never feel as good after fast food as you do when you take a minute to breathe, put your mind to it and make something yourself.

So this is another one of those weeknight, ever reliable, old faithfuls. You can even prep it and then use your delayed start function to have it cook while you’re out. Or, make it ahead and re-heat it using your Combi-Steam to replace the moisture and warm it through. I hope you’ll come back to it time and time again!

Serves 4 (but can be doubled provided your dish is large enough - no change to cooking time)

Ingredients:

8 chicken thigh fillets (boneless - skin on)
1 small brown onion (diced)
2 spring onions (roots removed and finely sliced)
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 tbs olive oil
1 ½ cups long grain white rice (rinsed in a sieve until water runs clear)
2 cups chicken stock
6 dried apricots (finely chopped)
3 tbs slithered almonds
½ tsp tumeric powder
¼ bunch coriander or basil (stalks finely chopped and leaves picked separately)
½ cup whole pitted green olives
Greek yoghurt to serve

chicken marinade - 1 tsp smoked paprika powder, 2 tsp dried thyme, 2 tsp ground coriander, 2 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp fine salt, black pepper, 2 tbs olive oil

Method:

1. Place the chicken thighs into an extra large zip lock bag (or a bowl) with the chicken marinade ingredients. Seal the bag, removing as much air as you can (or cover bowl with cling film) and move around to coat the chicken. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.

2. Place the onion, spring onions, garlic, olive oil and coriander/basil stalks into a large baking dish. Make sure it can fit all of the chicken thighs in a single layer, without overcrowding. (A roasting pan is perfect I find). Place the dish into the CombiSteam (don’t pre-heat). Select your Combination Steam function (Hot Air+Steaming). Set the temperature to 200°C. (For variable Steam select 30%) Cook for 15 minutes or until onion is softened and fragrant.*

3. Remove the dish and add the rice, apricots, almonds and turmeric. Stir to coat the rice in the onion mixture. Pour in the stock. (The stock should just cover the rice - if it doesn’t add a little more or top up with a little water) Lay the chicken thighs, skin side up, on top of the rice.

4. Return the dish to the CombiSteam. Cook for 35 minutes or until almost all of the moisture is absorbed, rice is just tender and chicken is cooked through.

5. Remove and allow to rest, all in the pan, for 10 minutes. Take the chicken off the top and use two forks to “fluff” the rice up and help to steam off any extra moisture. Add the olives.

6. Serve the rice with the chicken and sprinkle over the coriander/basil leaves. Dollop on a little Greek yoghurt.

*In a V-ZUG/Wolf CombiSteam you can use RegeneratOMatic - Crispy for this step. Start from cold and let it control the temperature and time. Remove when the automatic sensor timer beeps and continue with recipe.

Notes:

• You may need to adjust the timing a little depending on your brand of CombiSteam. If you find the chicken skin needs a little more browning but the rice is cooked. Remove the dish and place the chicken on a tray. Increase the temperature to the highest and once it reaches temperature return the chicken to the oven and give it another 5-8 minutes until skin is browned to your liking.

• Feel free to use other dried fruits like currants, sultanas, chopped dates etc instead of apricots.

• Coriander leaves and stalks can be substituted for flat leaf Italian parsley if you prefer.

• I use Basmati rice but any long grain will work.

• If you want to marinate the chicken overnight omit the salt as it will draw the moisture out of the chicken if left too long. Marinate overnight in the fridge and then season with salt when you add to the tray before cooking.

I love some pitta bread alongside this one. You could also pair it up with a nice fresh green salad or even some steamed green beans or broccolini if you want to get that 5 a day count up. I’ve also thrown a drained and rinsed can of chickpeas in with the rice in Step 3 for a little variety - worked well!

Don’t forget to check out my recipe books if you want some more inspiration.

Thanks so much loyal ones!

Happy CombiSteaming!

Yours in the kitchen,

The CSQ. x